Applecart Arts announces residencies and on-demand streaming service

• Two selected artists will receive a month’s access to Applecart’s studio, and have their performances live-streamed using state-of-the-art facilities 
• Application deadline is 20^th December 
• The company will also be launching Applecart on Demand on 21^st December 
• On 22^nd December they will live-stream a concert of 20 jazz musicians 

@ApplecartArts | applecartarts.com

Following their streamed festival Dazed New World in October, Applecart Arts are opening up their studio and offering up their expertise and equipment to visiting artists and companies, and granting completely free residencies to two artists in January. Applecart Arts have invested in high-quality equipment, including five broadcast quality cameras, for the purposes of filming and streaming theatre. The two successful applicants will receive 24 hour access to their lockable studio in Newham from 4^th – 31^st January, culminating in a performance, in-progress presentation or virtual exhibition presented via Applecart’s online platforms. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Sunday 20^th December. 

Applecart Arts adapted their Newham venue to a space for rehearsing, streaming and recording theatre, dance and music productions [when]. Since, they have streamed their festival Dazed New World into homes across the UK and beyond. The space is available for hire along with the equipment and the technical and creative know-how of the Applecart team. Companies using the service will have their show live-streamed, and have a high quality filming of their show for further streaming, for archive purposes, and for use as a promotional tool. To share some of the productions they have filmed in the last few months, the company is launching their streaming service Applecart on Demand on Monday 21^st December. 

The final show of the year from Applecart will be The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special on 22^nd December. 20 jazz musicians will play a whole host of everyone’s favourite classics, arranged specially for this livestream, and the first live performance of the tracks from the Sam Every Big Band’s debut Christmas EP ‘Christmas is Here’, released 4^th December. Expect a night of classic swing music, groovy soul and funky pop played by some of the top young musicians in the country. 

Artistic Director Peter Moreton said, “As a grassroots organisation Applecart has been able to move quickly to try and provide a live-streaming service for companies who would otherwise have been left high and dry.  We’ve been so excited to facilitate work even during lockdown and tier three.  It gives us real hope and anticipation for the explosion of art that’s going to happen once we emerge from this difficult time.” 

Applecart Arts was founded in 2008 with a monthly event in a pub in Whitechapel. Committed to the power of storytelling as a tool for entertainment, engagement, and inspiration, the company use a wide range of artistic disciplines including theatre, film, music and visual art to cross cultural divides and strengthen communities. Formerly based in The Old School Room in Tower Hamlets, the company moved to Harold Road Community Centre in Upton Park in 2017 – a creative hub that celebrates the community it serves. 

Listings information 

The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special 

Tuesday 22^nd December, 8.30pm 

Running time: 75 mins 

£12 – 8 | applecartarts.com 

This event will be live-streamed in line with Government guidelines 

To apply for the Applecart residencies, companies should visit the Applecart website: https://applecartarts.com/in_the_theatre.php?id=2258&title=artist-residency 

To inquire about venue and facility hire, please visit www.applecartarts.com or email [email protected]  

2021 EXTENSION ANNOUNCED
FOR THE UK’S LONGEST RUNNING IMMERSIVE PRODUCTION

THE GREAT GATSBY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW, BOOKING UNTIL 29 AUGUST 2021

Immersive Everywhere are pleased to announce a further extension for the critically acclaimed immersive hit show, THE GREAT GATSBY, with tickets on sale now until 29 August 2021.

THE GREAT GATSBY, created and directed by Alexander Wright– which holds the record as the UK’s longest running immersive production– re-opened under socially distanced conditions at the beginning of October at West End venue IMMERSIVE | LDN, but – due to London being placed in Tier 3 restrictions – the show has once more been forced to close its doors, with no further performances until London enters Tier 2 or below.

The production will be taking a month’s hiatus in March whilst the building prepares for the opening of DOCTOR WHO: TIME FRACTURE, opening at Immersive LDN on 21st April 2021. Tickets for THE GREAT GATSBY will be available from 8 April until 29 August 2021 and are on sale now via www.immersivegatsby.com.

Over the first lockdown, Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook re-imagined and re-set the production as an Art Deco Masquerade Ball, with audience members wearing compulsory face coverings to complement their fabulous attire.

Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook said “100 years ago our society came out of a pandemic and into the “Roaring ’20s”, so it feels fitting that The Great Gatsby should be leading the fightback for the creative sector after Covid-19. Immersive|LDN also hosts Doctor Who in an adjoining building, making it the world’s first ever multiplex immersive theatre facility. We’re very proud of the experience we are giving to our audiences, and of the fact that these productions provide stable employment for well over 100 people, including many freelancers, at a challenging time.”.” 

Jay Gatsby invites you to one of his infamous large parties. Re-imagined and re-set to meet covid-19 secure guidelines, the champagne flows and as the drama unfolds the man himself will be the perfect host. As invites go, this is the hottest in town.

A hedonistic world of red-hot rhythms, bootleg liquor and pure jazz age self-indulgence awaits. Dress to the nines and immerse yourself in this heart racing adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal tale of the Roaring Twenties.

Craig Hamilton currently plays ‘Gatsby’, alongside Lucinda Turner as ‘Daisy’, James Lawrence as ‘Nick’, Dean Graham as ‘Tom’, Lucas Jones as ‘George’, Ivy Corbin as ‘Jordan’, MJ Lee as ‘Myrtle’, Hugh Stubbins as ‘Rosy Rosenthal’, Aimee Barrett as ‘Lucille’ and Alex Wingfield as ‘Joey’.

In order to ensure full compliance with government Covid-Secure guidelines at IMMERSIVE LDN, the capacity of the venue was significantly reduced to help patrons – coming as individuals or in household groups – to keep a safe distance from others; and the nature of the show naturally enables social distancing. The show content was altered and updated to avoid any activity that would be considered high risk, and the actors trained to keep groups of audience following the story, whilst remaining at a safe distance. Temperature checks are undertaken for audience and staff on arrival, and the venue is deep cleaned after every performance, bar equipment sterilised, and hand sanitisers available throughout the venue.

IMMERSIVE LDN has also been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that the venue is complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of all staff and audiences. 

Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook, who are currently co-producing the immersive production of DOCTOR WHO TIME FRACTURE – launched a new company in 2019, IMMERSIVE EVERYWHERE, entirely dedicated to developing and staging theatre-led immersive experiences, and IMMERSIVE | LDN is the newest of their network of venues, which will house cafes, bars and rehearsal and workshop spaces to help the development of new work.

IMMERSIVE | LDN is a 32,000sq ft historic building in the heart of Mayfair, which was home to the Queen Victoria’s Rifles Association until 2017. It includes three floors of immersive theatre and event spaces designated for performance, live gaming, events, escape rooms and private parties. For information about programming and venue hire visit www.immersiveldn.com

First conceived in 2015 when director Alexander Wright and producer Brian Hook were running The Fleeting Arms – a pop arts and community pub in an abandoned building in York, the show then ran in York in 2016 with a parallel production in Sheffield, and was produced by the Guild of Misrule . The Great Gatsby first came to London as part of VAULT Festival in 2017 and sold out before the show opened. Since then the show has run in Wales in co-production with Theatr Clwyd, at Halifax’s Square Chapel, and at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. All the while the show has played night after night at Gatsby’s Drugstore in London SE1, inviting audiences into the hedonistic world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary tale, and in 2018 it became the UK’s longest running immersive production.

Amie Burns Walker and Oliver Tilney are Associate Directors. Choreography is by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, with MJ Lee as Assistant Choreographer, design by Casey Jay Andrews, costume design by Heledd Rees, sound design by Phil Grainger and lighting design by Rachel Sampley. The original score was composed and produced by Glen Brown and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, with arrangement and additional composition by David Sims. The original production was created by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Amie Burns Walker, Hannah Davies, Phil Grainger, Michael Lambourne, Thomas Maller and Oliver Tilney.

This new production of The Guild of Misrule’s THE GREAT GATSBY is produced by Immersive Everywhere with co-producer Gavin Kalin Productions, and with Glynis Henderson Productions, Theatr Clwyd, We Culture Connects and Damier NV as Associate Producers.

The Living Record Festival of online digital arts announces their programme today

• A month long digital arts festival presenting over 45 original pieces in a range of art forms including theatre, dance, circus, comedy, documentary, spoken word, binaural sound and music
• Theatre maker Ross Drury has teamed up with a software developer to build a unique platform imitating the full arts festival experience online
• Ticket discounting system to encourage audiences to recommend on the work they enjoy
• Programme includes The Noise Next Door, Clare Perkins in Unhinged, Dempsey Bogell, Elian Gray and Maria Ferguson

Online, 17 January – 22 February 2021

@Living_Record | #LivingRecordFest | www.livingrecord.co.uk/the-living-record-festival

Living Record Festival is a month-long Digital Arts Festival curating and presenting over 40 original pieces from a range of art forms by independent companies and freelance artists.

Spurred on by the catastrophic effect Covid-19 has had on the theatre and live performance industry, The Living Record hopes to build a virtual space for audiences to safely access a range of digital culture, sharing communal online bar spaces, and making recommendations of shows they have enjoyed to one another. The software offers each theatre maker or company their own microsite within the festival structure to share images, videos, interviews, backstage tours.

The Living Record Festival has a unique recommendation incentive built into the system, for every ticket recommended in a chain, the next ticket is £1 off what the previous person paid, until one lucky audience member can see the show for free. This system encourages audiences to be more outspoken and proactive in sharing the work they like, and the best work is rewarded with more audience.

The programme is available online now, with comedy from The Noise Next Door, the UK’s premiere improv comedy troupe; Clare Perkins in brand new play about the access we give to others via technology, Unhinged; a mockumentary from actor and writer Dempsey Bovell; Maria Ferguson’s debut poetry collection Alright, Girl?; plus rapper and digital musician Elian Gray shares reading from Awkward Awe; and play presented with a live DJ set My Mix(ed up) Tape by Katie Payne.

Artistic director Ross Drury said, “The Living Record Festival is a virtual space that supports professional development, networking, and artistic experimentation for artists and storytellers at all career levels and a financially accessible marketplace for theatre companies to connect with audiences and the wider arts industry. Its aim is to support independent companies, storytellers and artists, and to programme work which is purpose-built for a digital platform.

Living Record Productions is an award winning production company established in 2015, creating relevant, dynamic new writing and binaural sound theatre experiences, committed to supporting artists from working class backgrounds.   Alongside Playwright Neil Smith Living Record staged Sisters, Creditors by Neil Smith at the Brockley Jack Theatre, Reunion and Echoes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Jodi Gray’s THROWN a boundary pushing exploration into binaural sound and performance toured across the UK to venues including Vault Festival; The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury; The Place, Bedford, and was selected as part of the REACH showcase 2018 at ARC Stockton. Theatre critic Lyn Gardner said “Terrific performance…Looks great and sounds even better” and THROWN was awarded the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence at Edinburgh Fringe 2018. Thrown was live streamed in 2017, beginning an in-depth exploration into how binaural sound enables theatre to be highly effective for audiences at home. In partnership with Age UK, they found binaural sound performances and workshops were very effective for older people’s groups, bringing a high-quality cultural experience to them in non-theatre spaces. Living Record Productions were invited to run workshops in Bedford prison and an international school in Kuala Lumpur. Most recently Living Record have created the an interactive platform for digital arts and produced the children binaural audio series Mr Cleverly’s Transcontinental Delivery Service.

Company information

Artistic Director: Ross Drury

Producer: Ellie Barr

Software Developer?

Listings information

17 January  – 22 February 2021

www.livingrecord.co.uk/the-living-record-festival

Many shows are available on demand.
Tickets £1 – £15
Please see separate shows for more information

Partners and associates of the festival are Spun Glass Theatre, Chew Boy Productions, Fringe Review, Bedford Place, London Playwrights Blog and Dyspla.

Supported by Arts Council England

Full Programme:

Finney’s Ghost

by David Fox

Finneys Ghost is a a ghost story and maybe a love story told through the photographs left by a dead boy. Finney leaves all his worldly goods, a suitcase of photos, to a girl he barely knew. On the case is written, ‘TO BE OPENED ON MY DEATH. The contents of this case belong to Pearl Black, upon opening, there will be silence in heaven about the space of half an hour, Signed William Gabriel Finney.’ She knows nothing of his death and almost nothing of his life, but what she finds inside the case shocks and enthralls her. It may even change her life.

27 January

£10 / £5 concessions

This Noisy Isle

Spun Glass Theatre

This Noisy Isle is a treasure hunt style show inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The production explores children’s attitudes to the refugee crisis as they navigate a new world, speaking with characters, solving clues and finding their place on this new island. We want the children to feel involved, that they are a character in this drama, making real meaningful choices.This Noisy Isle will be digital art as the characters will be connected via a live stream to children in their houses

17 January – 22 February

One off ticket price for 40-60 min content £7.00

The 39 Steps – A Radio Drama

Blackbox theatre

This stunning new adaptation of John Buchan’s classic ripping yarn, The 39 Steps, is aimed at a family audience and evokes the golden age of radio drama. Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Richard Hannay is on the run. Following clues left to him in a little black book by a mysterious American gentleman, he must uncover the secrets of the 39 Steps, prove his innocence and save Britain from the forces of evil. What could possibly go wrong? … What? The actors haven’t turned up? OH, CRUMBS!

17 January – 22 February

£1.50 single ticket price for audio play (1hour and 40minutes)

Bully Beef & Whizzbangs

Blackbox theatre

Originally an award winning stage play written to commemorate the Armistice, Bully Beef & Whizzbangs has now been recorded ‘for radio.’ Set on the battlefields of France during 1916, WHIZZBANGS takes a wry look at life in a front line trench through the eyes of its two reluctant heroes. Stuck in a hole surrounded by mud and death, how will our boys cope with the ever-present danger of being shot or blown to smithereens? A stunningly atmospheric audio production aimed at both young and old.

17 January – 22 February

£1.50 single ticket for audio play (1 hour and 9mins)

Mum. Can you hear me?

Bernadett Szabo

A four-act monodrama which invites the audience into the consciousness of a girl, where the audience is trapped in her head with her inner thoughts and feelings while she is trying to make sense of the experience of saying goodbye to a world which she can’t properly see anymore. The audience unwillingly explores her immediate environment with the thirty-eight other unknown voices through the sound space which is created for this play. Inspired by the Essex Lorry Death accident from October of 20

1 – 22 February

£5

Covert Firmament

Sky or the Bird

Covert Firmament is a collection of stories told via film, music, and narrative. They range from short Genre films (SciFi) to narrated short stories (between 12-20 Minutes) and a selection of spoken word pieces – apercu style – set to music. There is no particular organising theme or principle – though they will be arranged into movies, stories and apercu. It’s an eclectic array of works that can be easily enjoyed in today’s busy world. All writing will be by Dan Horrigan.

17 January – 22 February

£10

Thrash

RoguePlay

Thrash is an aural autobiographical stream of consciousness. A disjointed narrative mixed with performance poetry explores the effect of trauma and grief and coming out the other side to find healing and acceptance. Each audience member will listen to it via headphones while being asked to perform a everyday tasks. This piece is recorded purely for digital aural, controlled by the audience member via their own technology. The themes are mental well being, overcoming trauma and finding hope.

17 January – 22 February

£6. One off ticket price for 40-60 minute content

AM I A TERRIBLE PERSON

AM I A TERRIBLE PERSON is a comedic tale with real accounts of OCD and depression, tackling stigma on mental health and the LGBTQIA+ community through comedy and choreographed movement. I want audiences to feel empowered to talk openly about their own mental health; experience openness, vulnerability, honesty and discomfort, but also feel safe & protected. I often create video content & will use the microsite to upload illustrations to give audiences a full experience of my style and humour.

17 January – 22 February

£8

The Anarchist’s Mobile Library – an audio adventure

Tessa Bide Productions

The Anarchist’s Mobile Library is an interactive, audio adventure audiences can can play on any
internet device. As they listen, the audience plays the role of the creator, choosing the story they would
like to explore and how they would like it to end. With bold animations, narration, and a beautifully
created soundscape, our project is accessible to all those with the internet, although we encourage the
listener to put down their screens and let their imaginations paint the visuals!

17 January – 22 February

£8 ticket for access for the festival period

Prayer For A Parasite

Héloïse Thual

My piece will be a monologue illustrated by drawings and pictures about a woman getting gradually transform both physically and mentally by a parasite. She will become a host to the parasite’s memories, dreams, craves and desires. It will be composed of different entries “Day 1″/”Day 2/ Day 3” until the metamorphosis is complete.

17 January – 22 February

£5

The Noise Next Door: All Together

The Noise Next Door

The UK’s premier improvised comedy are bringing a bespoke evening of comedy entertainment to a screen near you. The Noise Next Door have been performing comedy together for 13 years. We try to bring people together, creating an instantaneous and spontaneous community which has never existed before, and will never exist again at each performance.

21 January

£10 for the ticket, one device but as many people as you like.

Controversy

Maya Katherine

Maya Katherine is an actress and director. With support from the National Youth Theatre, ‘CONTROVERSY’ follows a young girl on her journey through internet fame and the hidden online world.

Broken Link

Noga Flaishon

Luke, Holly, Alice and Pat meet every year in the cemetery of their hometown to remember Elly, who died 4 years ago. This year, due to lockdown, they can’t meet in person and so move the meeting online. This year- Elly Joins the Zoom Chat. Broken link has been written especially for Zoom, utilizing the medium to it’s fullest to bring the audience a live theatre experience, a bone chilling and touching story of betrayal, hopes, and who we are when adolescence is over.

14 February

£7

Take Care (Online)

Ecoute Theatre

A short documentary-style film on the elderly care system. All text comes from interviews conducted over 6 years, featuring roughly 25 real characters, played by 4 actors. Meet Pam. She used to work on the complaints desk for BA, now she’s waging war against a London care home in a bid to save her mum. An inventive piece of digital art that both entertains & educates an audience, providing a behind-the-scenes, intimate look at the lives of carers. Carers we all clapped for a few months ago…

17 January – 22 February

£7

Echo

Julius Wills

An episodic audio drama following the story of 3 Starship Engineers aboard Resurgam, a Generation ship on a 300-year journey, as they witness this journey being pulled in and out of Cryo Stasis. The aim of the piece is to create a drama in a sci-fi setting, exploring the themes of loss and living outside of your time. The audiences should feel the effect of Cryo along with the characters, as they jump in and out with them. I will involve a digital artist to create artwork for each episode.

17 January – 22 February

A single episode is £5, but if you want to listen to both it is £8 in a bundle offer. They are 30 min episodes and we will be producing two for the festival.

ICHTHUS

SE Theatre Company

A reflection about the time we live in, and the role of the individual in a society that is paradoxically fragmented, in the sense that we distance ourselves from the Other, and totalitarian, seen as globalisation brought the massification of both thought and action. The aim is to explore our ambition of making theatre accessible to everyone as well as push the boundaries of performance. Audiences will find a production bespoke to digital that will challenge the way they view theatre.

The Class

Dempsey Bovell

A series of short episodes of a mockumentary

£2

Heads or Tails

Skye Hallam

“after life, things needn’t be so bad.” Heads or Tails is an uplifting piece of existential pop culture comedy. It tells the story of a young actress taken too soon, who is given the opportunity of a lifetime, (well an opportunity to fulfil her lifelong dream)… of performing a one woman show. She has been granted one hour on Earth and uses her time to help those still living to learn from the regrets of the dead and to reminisce on her life lost.

17 January – 22 February

£9

Readings from Awkward Awe

Elian Gray

I’ll be performing 1 or 2 pieces from my recent LP, Awkward Awe. While the album is already out in the public domain this will be a first time performance without the musical backdrop and the lyrics taking centre focus. The work aims to convey a feeling of confusion and frustration at modern life, a bewilderment of coming to terms with adulthood in a world gone mad. The pieces will be presented in video, hopefully feeling more like a live performance than a music video.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50 – £4 with free download of album

No Body

Kate Gregson

This would be an original interactive performance piece delivered via Zoom exploring social media, body politics, trolling and taking ownership of your body; reflecting issues of today, especially young people. The audience would collectively make decisions to the narrative of the piece using polls etc, but never actually interact with the character directly. This will be approached with comedy and humour, but with moments of reflection.

£3

Vivid Ashes

The Quean’s Company

We created this piece as a way of addressing how we as individuals deal with trauma. This idea was originally formed to take place as an immersive piece in a nightclub setting however with the country going into lock down we ended up creating the piece digitally. We aimed for the audience to feel connected to the piece emotionally and then feel a sense of strength after viewing. The piece is a short performance art film that we edited and filmed during lock down. Key themes: trauma and feminism. The Quean’s Theatre is a gutsy feminist performance company creating daring and bold work.

17 January – 22 February

£1

Circles     

Carmina Masoliver

At the end of 2019, I published an epic illustrated poem, ‘Circles’ with Burning Eye Books. I began to tour the book at the start of 2020. The spoken word piece is 15-20 minutes and is inspired by Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. Taking the point of view of the suicide victim’s lover in the play post-death, the piece takes place on London’s tube network and follows the fragmented views of this once-absent character. It is a piece about love, loss and the line between sanity and insanity.

17 January – 22 February

£15 – physical copy of the book included with recording (£5 show and £10 book)

My Mix(ed up) Tape

Eleanor Barr

“My Mix(ed up) Tape” is a brand new play about Phoebe – or “Pea” for short: because she’s always had a skinny body and MASSIVE head – female anger, mis-diagnosed ADHD and finding out who you really are.
Presented with a DJ-set from DJ GLADE and sensory audio-visual graphics that transport you into the world of the play, this is Katie Payne’s first play.

17 January – 22 February

£5

On Record

Cameron Essam and Ella Dorman-Gajic

This is an audio play within an audio play. The purpose of the set-up is to get a confession out of the lead actor of her violent past (unbeknown to her/ the audience until the end). A physiological thriller, delving into the workings of 1 woman’s mind. Our aim is to push the boundaries of a conventional audio play by subverting the audience’s expectations & their understanding of the play’s reality. We will use imaginative & visceral sounds, to fully immerse our audience in an audio experience.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50

Story Soup

Martin Gibbons

A collection of performed fairytales created and composed in album format by writer and actor Martin Gibbons, and musician Andy Mack. Each tale will be told in it’s own unique style, drawing on a wide variety of genres and appealing to audiences of all ages. Our aim is to introduce audiences to creative retellings of some well known fairytales, some lesser known, and some completely original tales. It will be created and recorded originally for the digital platform.

17 January – 22 February

£3 for one £5 for both tales

Alright, Girl?

Maria Ferguson

A soundscaped binaural recording of my debut collection, Alright, Girl? published by Burning Eye books. Extremely personal, yet highly relatable, Alright, Girl? is a frank exploration of class, gender and belonging. This recording will be made in collaboration with a sound designer and will provide the audience with a way of accessing spoken word poetry despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding live events.

17 January – 22 February

One off ticket price £7.50

Ram of God, the film

Theodora van der Beek

Ram of God follows the story of a milk-based cult and its sheep/man hybrid leader, Ram. It is a dark comedy/feminist folk horror about gender dynamics. Filmed, edited and performed all by one person, it retains some of the essence of a solo theatre show and joyfully tackles the new possibilities and limitations of reimagining theatre as film. Developed with Soho Theatre, featuring original music by award winning composer Adam Jonota Bzowski and supported by Arts Council England.

17 January – 2 February

£6/£4 concessions

This Little World

The Giddy Round

A product of the social and civic turmoil of 2020, This Little World grapples with themes of isolation and political upheaval through an adaptation for solo performance of Shakespeare’s Richard II. King Richard, alone in a sparse prison cell, reflects on the events that brought about his fall. To portray him, and conjure the people and scenes of Richard’s history, actor Owen Corey utilizes kinetic body puppetry, deeply-invested characterizations, and instant self-filmed videography.

17 January – 22 February

£7

A Bloody Shambles

by Ella Dorman-Gajic

A short audio drama about Jess, who has woken up with a familiar feeling between her thighs, in a bed she doesn’t recognise. At the last of her money, she tries to find a way out, without making too much mess. The story explores themes of period poverty & taboos about menstruation. My aim is to immerse the audience in each location & Jess’ dilemma, through specific uses of sound, which build to reflect her anxiety. Her journey highlights the experiences of many womxn, which are often overlooked.

17 January – 22 February

£2.50

Skip, Skip, Skip

Leanne Moden

Themes: A verse play about music, belonging & accidentally becoming a teenage goth. An immersive audio download; digital art like creative storytelling podcasts (eg Imaginary Advice). Listener experience: feel connection & empathy for characters & provoke discussion re: music & sub-cultures: are they a positive or another excuse for tribalism & division? Aims: to diversify my creative storytelling to a new medium; access cross-genre audiences & feedback; open up conversations re: social cohesion

17 January – 22 February

one off ticket price for 30 minutes of content – one off tickets @ per £5

Stories of the Present War

Beautiful Confusion Collective

Stories of the Present War is a live puzzling out of complex matters. Inspired by letters written by my grandparents during WWII, it models a way of thinking about (in)tangible inheritance(s) and the present in relation to the past, both personally and in a wider social context. The live reading of letters is followed by interactive live blogging sessions that allow spectators to react, ask questions or share their own family stories. A digital archive will grow with each reading (I propose 4).

Nevergreen

wethewonderful

Nevergreen is a voyage into the life and mind of Rachel Carson, the pioneering scientist who birthed modern environmentalism. Through a single performer, soundscapes and visuals of nature, the audience is immersed in three areas of the natural world: sea, forest and soil. Concurrent with these sounds and images are the social and political issues Carson faced, as a ground-breaking woman who died tragically young. The Living Festival will enable us to animate this project at a timely moment.

17 January – 22 February

£5/session for sessions 1-4, £12 for 3, £15 for all 4, £5/session for session 5.

Any tickets purchased for sessions 1-4 also include admission to session 5 and any e-gallery space I build from session to session.

The Stove

Emma Brand

The Stove was originally created in March as an antidote to isolation. It’s a virtual meeting place, where participants share memories and stories over dinner, before creating a story together. The Stove explores the possibilities of live online performance, transcending geography, creating a sense of immersion, and bringing entertainment and community into people’s homes. There is no central narrative other than an attempt to bond audiences through nostalgia, food and shared experience.

£7

Unhinged

Bethany Pitts

Unhinged is an immersive audio thriller, told through recorded material. Clio (Clare Perkins) is a recently divorced Grandmother embracing dating online. Gradually we discover, as she does, her new date is tracking her via her phone – every keystroke, phone call, even recording her everyday life. The audience experience this as if in Clio’s mind, but our ears are then revealed to be those of her abuser. Unhinged explores the limits of the access we give others to our lives via technology.

£5

Write Now

Outside Edge Theatre Company

The festive period will be shown in a new light with this uniquely curated selection of short scripts. This anthology of work from new playwrights who have been affected by addiction and meet weekly to support one another, both creatively and in their recovery. Through a bizarre but topical anthology of scenes & monologues, we invite audiences on a dark, magical journey, meditating on the idea of hope, despite the long winter ahead.

17 January – 22 February

£10

Shit Samaritans

Omar Ibrahim /Lee drage

Live zoom sessions with two comedians who are ‘Shit Samaritans’. The idea of the piece is to offer relief, catharsis and an open place to laugh at ourselves in trying times, by listening to the audiences problems and responding with comical advice. Though comedic in nature, the experience will aim to support the audience, in the hope they’ll hopefully leave the session feeling better than they did before it started.

Every Wednesday of the Festival

£6 for a ticket + access to other recorded shows

(re)collect

Isla Cowan

An immersive audio experience. Composed of entangled audio fragments, (re)collect is part-play-part-poetry; an assemblage of scenes, stories & voices that meditate on human relations with the environment. Starting with the line, ‘I’m in your head, aren’t I?’, the piece is intended for independent listening (earphones). It explores ‘recollections’ as memories of earth/sea/wind and the action ‘to collect’, to gather & bring together, interact. (re)collect aims to evoke an ecological consciousness.

1 – 22 February

Pay what you can, from £0-6 to access the recording (with a suggestion of £3); since a lot of audio pieces are free from Spotify and Soundcloud, I think donation / pay what you can is the best way to engage people

Breaking Up With Reality

Eden Harbud

Reality abandoned all of us. This is an exploration of our break up with our past, and the new relationship we have with our future. Using a loose narrative, I’ll combine spoken word, recorded soundscapes and music to create an audio love letter to Reality. It’s hard having to only greet Reality with an elbow bop, but if we get any closer it will break our hearts all over again. I want to comfort the audience whilst also allowing them to further come to terms with our new reality.

17 January – 22 February

Admission ticket £6. Purchase Script £4.

HURT

Lava Lounge

HURT would be an interactive radio play which takes listeners on a visceral journey into the mind of Archie, a hitman-cum-prostitute who sells himself as a human punchbag. This story must exist on a digital platform. We want to combine the immersion/interaction of gaming with the drama of a radio play, and deliver it to a podcast generation. We want audiences to experience Archie’s tortured mind as he navigates a nocturnal world. We want to sonically depict what it is to be at war with oneself.

17 January – 22 February

£3

African Warrior Living Statue

Hendrix Cleva

I am a living statue artist. My character is one of the greatest African warrior, Shaka Zulu. My aim is to preserve the culture and remember the greatest African warriors that existed and I aim to promote the art (living statue) here in Africa as it’s not common. I busk at the VandA Waterfront, this is one of the best tourist attraction place in Africa. Every day I entertain lots of people.

£5

Always on my Mind

Shipwreck Productions

In light of the new Covid induced world we live in, it is now more important than ever to produce, promote and experience real human interactions which truly make us feel. Sadly, this indirect format comes with it’s own complications for true immersion. Our aim, as a theatre and film production company, is to create an experience that, despite the hurdles, allow people to still feel and engage with real human stories through pre-filmed footage, live theatre and immersive techniques.

17 January – 22 February

£6.00 one off ticket

Four Walls

Olivia Mermagen

The world has been devastated by a virus and society is beginning to rebuild itself. An individual who has only existed on a virtual platform for the last 5 years tries to reintegrate herself in society but finds she has developed severe social anxiety and can’t remember how to communicate with others. As her attempts at a fresh start seems more and more bleak, the distinction between reality and the online world that has protected her for so long begins to blur and she loses herself.

Shifting Sands

Tom Thornton

My piece is an audio story, some would describe as a fictional podcast meets radio play. Its a dystopian satire that examines modern life and the apathy of the millennial experience. Taking place in a world where human’s evolve the ability to hear each others thoughts, by exposing the concept of the inner monologue in the format of an inner monologue I hope this is a thought provoking, funny and surprising experience for audiences.

17 January – 22 February

£6 – One off ticket

A Dance Of A Million Pieces

Gemma Rogers

Endy’s in a coma. she won’t wake up. Clocks ticking. It’s 31st dec at 21:00, few hours until the exact time 7 years earlier, Mion & Endy met. In a last ditch effort to try and draw her back, Mion is armed with drugs: DMT, Ayhuasca, and a meditation cd. Spirituality isn’t really his thing but Mion will do whatever’s necessary to keep her alive & home with him. Where she belongs. A story about the pain of losing someone. Binaural sound & strong visuals help our lovers say goodbye to each other.

£5

Ain’t No Female Romeo

Lita Doolan

An online love affair takes a social media fan across the world to find the poster. The piece asks how far does clicking ‘like’ take you emotionally? The audience experience is one of looking at gadgets as a portal into somewhere new. The work is digital art because it uses the technology interface as part of the plot. Every thing is geared around communicated (or not communicating) digitally – this is the only way the two people have connected. Narrative is a subversion of Romeo and Juliet

£5 for one off event

Tales of a Relunctant Traveller

Randy Ross

Sixteen weeks, four continents, three bungee jumps, and I couldn’t come home soon enough. This is the story of how a Boston homebody turned a solo trip around the globe into a comedy novel and an acclaimed one-man show. The 1.5-hour, multimedia event includes a humorous travel slide show, readings from my novel God Bless Cambodia and performances from my show The Chronic Single’s Handbook. 

And Breathe

by Mark Conway and Alex Packer  

Worldwide, 500 billion – 1 trillion plastic bags are used a year. 2 million plastic bags a minute. And the average length of time a single plastic bag is used is just 12 mins. We want our short film to explore the sound and look of plastic against the natural. Lots of incredible visual stories have looked at plastic and the natural world, we want to bring it closer to the impact on the human body. How it affects our breath, our movement, our virility; and how it is emblematic of our end.

8 – 22 February

£5

Childbirth Project (working title)

Rosie Rowlands & Feathers Of Daedalus   

Rosie is a professional circus artist from London.  After graduating from the National Centre for Circus Arts her skills have taken her around the globe, from lavish corporate spectacles in Asia, to Australia’s vibrant cabaret scene, to theatre tours across the UK.  In 2015 she became a mother for the first time and has since been juggling the demands of parenthood with her career, thanks to her supportive family.  Unfortunately, due to this year’s pandemic the circus industry has suffered immeasurably. Maternity services in the UK have also suffered, forcing expectant mothers to go through life-changing experiences without the care and support they need. Inspired by these recent events, and by her own experiences as she awaits the birth of her second child Rosie has teamed up with Feathers Of Daedalus director Joanna Vymeris, to create a short film (working title; The Childbirth Project) which explores the fear surrounding childbirth, and celebrates the strength of the female body.

£5

Remember, remember the 5^th of November…

AN EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONCERT

OF THE EXPLOSIVE NEW MUSICAL DRAMA

FILMED LIVE FROM CADOGAN HALL

AVAILABLE TO STREAM FROM 12-14 FEBRUARY 2021

AHEAD OF A FULL MUSICAL PRODUCTION TO FOLLOW LATER IN 2021

MUSIC & LYRICS BY RICKY ALLAN

BOOK BY RICKY ALLAN & KIERAN LYNN

DIRECTED BY HANNAH CHISSICK

Songs from Treason, the exciting new musical drama based on the notorious gunpowder plot of 1605, will now be performed and filmed live in concert and available to stream for a limited time from 12-14 February 2021. Featuring a fusion of original folk and pop songs, this wonderful new musical tells one of the most intriguing tales in England’s history.  

Online tickets are priced from £10 and bookable via: https://treasonthemusical.com/book-tickets.php

With a stunning score and lyrics by Ricky Allan, and book by Kieran Lynn and Ricky Allan, the musical will be performed at London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall and directed by Hannah Chissick, with musical supervision by Nick Pinchbeck and orchestration by Matthew Malone.

Remember, remember the 5th of November,
for its gunpowder, treason, and plot
We’re here to tell you the rest of the tale,
the one that history books forgot
Guy Fawkes remains an anonymous figure, 
we have more to bring to the table
It’s time to meet the rest of the plotters,
in our fiery musical fable

Following the successful release of three tracks from the musical earlier in the year on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, and an additional two tracks to be released in January, the concert will also showcase a further five new and unheard tracks from the show.

The musical will be performed by a selection of some of the West End’s most talented performers who will be announced in due course. Please note the concert cast may differ from the original recording cast.

The first three exclusive tracks released from the musical are: Take Things Into Our Own Hands featuring Hadley Fraser, Waylon Jacobs, Emmanuel Kojo and Oliver Savile; The Day Elizabeth Died featuring Kelly Agbowu, Hadley Fraser, Waylon Jacobs, Emmanuel Kojo, Rebecca LaChance, Christina Modestou and Oliver Savile; and Blind Faith featuring Rosalie Craig and Oliver Savile.

Follow Treason the Musical on all social media platforms @treasonmusical and treasonthemusical.com  to be the first to hear the latest news and information.

Festv launches New Year’s Day 2021!

New arts festival streaming service Festv will launch on New Year’s Day with a launch showcase – recorded at the Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy – featuring comedian Mark Watson, playwright Gary McNair (A Gambler’s Guide to Dying), festival director Hope Azeda (Ubumuntu Arts Festival), singer-songwriter Honeyblood, dance artistic director Tony Mills, and installation artist Laura McGlinchey.This new service will celebrate and encapsulate digitally the joy, love and discovery of arts festivals worldwide, with streamed performances now at your fingertips. Working closely with partners around the world, Festv will also provide greater access to performing artists and audiences.

“Festv celebrates what’s special about festivals … joy in discovering new performances, love from a crowd, and that feeling of togetherness!” Mark WatsonSee Mark’s entire statement here: youtu.be/l1GInCb9LIc

Festv is a new streaming service for arts audiences and performers. Festival performers across comedy, live music, theatre and dance will be able to work with Festv to host their performances on the streaming service, either live or as recording, with audiences able to watch live or on-demand– with collections and pay-what-you-want options available. Audiences will be able to find all of their favourite acts, as well as discover new pieces, all in one place!They can get involved immediately by heading to festv.app/products/festv-live-from-edinburgh to watch a trailer and pre-order the launch show, including a line-up of guests like Mark Watson and Honeyblood, as well as a pay-what-you-want one-hour special featuring the “Best Bits” from Frontline Festival Scotland, with all proceeds going to charities including Scottish Fire & Rescue Family Support Trust. Festv also has crowdfunding open, offering rewards to early fans, at Crowdfunder and Indiegogo. Performers and producers can get in touch at festv.co to find out more about how they can work with us into 2021.From Jan 1st 2021, Festv will recreate the joy of discovery, the joy of the crowd, and the joy of performing arts, with festival acts and original shows on any screen.

“Festv was created to connect artists and audiences by improving global access to the arts. Our purpose is to lighten the world with shared moments of joy and virtual togetherness. Partnerships are key to delivering this vision, and we are excited about the possibilities for our brand in 2021 and beyond.” Festv Founders, Alan Kittle & Derek Douglas

National Theatre’s Public Acts community members across Doncaster and London perform in online musical “We Begin Again” produced by The Guardian, in partnership with National Theatre

Launching today on The Guardian and the National Theatre’s digital platforms as a musical video and a standalone track released by Grammy winning record label Broadway Records, “We Begin Again” is a unifying song for the country to take stock of the extraordinary year gone by and reset for the year ahead.

Written by Olivier award winner James Graham (This House – NT, Quiz) and produced by The Guardian in partnership with the National Theatre, We Begin Again features a multi-generational cast reflecting on their individual lives and the impact 2020 has had on them. 100 community members from the National Theatre’s Public Acts programme sing a hopeful chorus encouraging everyone to ‘begin again’. Filmed both on location and remotely, this online musical is a clear product of these unique times.

This is the first time the National Theatre has collaborated with The Guardian to create a musical and an example of the innovative ways a news website, an arts organisation and a record label, can interpret the year gone by and bring the performing arts to a global audience during a time when many theatres have been forced to close or reduce their audience intake.

Stars of stage and screen Anita Dobson (EastEnders), Zubin Varla (Jesus Christ Superstar), Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes) and Noah Thomas (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) are joined by members of the NT’s Public Acts community partner organisations in Doncaster in partnership with Cast (B:friend, Conversation Club, Edlington Community Organisation (ECO), Cast Young Company, darts, Right Up Our Street) and our founding Greater London community partners (Bromley by Bow Centre, Body & Soul, Coram, DABD, Havering Asian Social Welfare Association (HASWA), Open Age, Thames Reach, The Faith & Belief Forum) as the community choir in the musical video. Quirky Choir  (Doncaster) and Faithworks Gospel Choir  (London) also feature as cameo choirs.

Emily Lim, Director of the National Theatre’s Public Acts programme said, “It has been such an exciting, new experience creating this piece with our amazing Public Acts company. It is the first time we’ve ever made a film, and the first time our community members in Doncaster and London have united to collaborate together, cross-country! It has felt so important to stay creative and connected with one another at this time, despite all the restrictions, and we can’t wait to share this message of renewal and hope with everyone at the end of such a difficult year”.

Jess Gormley, Guardian Commissioner & Executive Producer said: “The Guardian is delighted to have partnered with the National Theatre on this unique project, with both production teams working around the various obstacles this year has thrown up. As theatres have had their stage productions curtailed, going online to a large international audience provides new opportunities to reach audiences and we were excited to connect our skilled film team with Public Acts’ diverse and numerous company members from London and Doncaster. It’s been a tremendous group effort and we hope the final film provides a balm to our viewers, at the end of a difficult year.”

We Begin Again is composed by Jim Fortune (Pericles, NT) and directed by Amy Hodge (Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear – The Musical!, NT). Julian Simmons is Music Producer, and Music Director is Tarek Merchant.

The musical film is now available to watch on The Guardian website here: https://www.theguardian.com/we-begin-again and the cast recording is available wherever digital music is sold and on www.Broadwayrecords.com. 

DIGITAL RELEASE PLANNED FOR

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

ADAPTED BY DANIELLE PEARSON | DIRECTED BY GEORGIE STAIGHT

CURRENTLY PLAYING IN FRONT OF A SOCIALLY DISTANCED AUDIENCE

AT THE WATERMILL THEATRE

STARRING ACTOR MUSICIANS PETE ASHMORE AND TILLY-MAE MILLBROOK

VIDEO ON DEMAND AVAILABLE FROM 18 DECEMBER FOR AUDIENCES TO ENJOY AT HOME

BOOK ONLINE AT WATERMILL.ORG.UK

Artistic Director Paul Hart and the team at Newbury’s The Watermill Theatre are pleased to announce that there will be a filmed version released of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which opened to critical acclaim on Thursday 3 December, and is currently playing to a socially distanced audience in the theatre untilSunday 3 January.

The film of A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be available to watch on demand from Friday 18 December at 7.30pm, with a basic ticket price of £10 for 3 days access to the film. There are also options to support The Watermill further, by paying £25 for access to the film for 7 days (the equivalent of one full price ticket to watch the production in the theatre), or £50 for access to watch for 10 days (the equivalent of two full price tickets). A captioned version will also be available to watch from Friday, and an audio described version and schools’ package will be made available in January.

Pre-booking for A Christmas Carol: Video On Demand is now open and tickets can be booked online at www.watermill.org.uk

Paul Hart said, “We’re so thrilled with the response to ‘A Christmas Carol’ and we’re very keen to make it available to as many people as possible, offering some Christmas joy to anyone who may need it. Especially as many people might not be able to join us this year due to limited capacities in the theatre, or because they may need or want to stay closer to home at the moment…but we’re excited to be able to introduce our work to audiences from farther afield, both in the UK and internationally!

We’re very proud of the production which really gets to the heart of Dickens’ original in such an inventive and fresh way – and I’m so excited this will offer a bit of Watermill magic this Christmas direct to people’s homes!”

It’s Christmas Eve, and whilst London is alive with festive cheer and seasonal goodwill, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge grows meaner by the minute. A heartless money lender, who cares more about counting his coins than for his fellow man, Scrooge despises Christmas and everything to do with it. But will a timely visit from the haunting ghosts of Christmas past, present and future change his wicked ways before it’s too late?

Two actor-musicians introduce us to Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and a host of extraordinary characters as you have never seen them before in a festive retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. 

Actor musicians Pete Ashmore and Tilly-Mae Millbrook star as ‘Scrooge’ and ‘The Narrator’ respectively. Adapted by Danielle Pearson, directed by Georgie Staight and designed by Isobel Nicolson, A CHRISTMAS CAROL sees the cast working together as joint Musical Directors, creating a magical festive soundscape. Lighting is designed by Harry Armytage with sound design by Tom Marshall and costume design by Emily Barratt.

For audiences in the theatre itself, as well as strict social distancing measures to reduce audience capacity, other safety measures include all audience members being required to wear face masks, hand sanitiser stations throughout the venue, a one-way system for accessing the toilets and signage to indicate routes and procedures. To enhance audience safety, a fogging machine is used to regularly sanitise all public areas at The Watermill, and to avoid recirculating air in the auditorium, the theatre is heated before audience members arrive, and then fresh air is continuously fed through the theatre during performances. 

The Watermill Theatre continues to operate in accordance with all government guidance at the time of performance and is constantly reviewing and adapting to the government’s guidelines. In the event that a show is unable to go ahead i.e. because of a change to the area’s tier for example, patrons will be contacted as soon as possible via email or phone and offered a transfer or credit or a refund for their tickets.

Royal & Derngate announces four new musicals for 2021

• An Improbable Musical – Friday 19 March – Saturday 27 March 2021

• Gin Craze! – Saturday 19 June – Saturday 3 July 2021

• Scot Free – Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October 2021

• On Hostile Ground – online from Tuesday 16 February 2021

Royal & Derngate Northampton today announces that it will premiere a season of original musical theatre as part of its upcoming Made in Northampton 2021 season.

As the culmination of a three-year project which has seen Royal & Derngate, Northampton lead a national consortium of partners to support 150 artists in nurturing the creation of new musical theatre, the venue will premiere three original musicals onstage and one online.

Legendary improvised theatre company Improbable return to their roots with An Improbable Musical which takes to the Derngate stage in March. April de Angelis and Lucy Rivers’ Gin Craze! then follows in the Royal auditorium in June and Jonny Wright and Tim Gilvin’s Scot Free will be presented in concert performances in the Autumn. Meanwhile, the venue is supporting the release of digital musical On Hostile Ground by Juliet Gilkes Romero, Michael Henry, Darren Clark and Charlotte Westenra.

With the support of Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence fund, Royal & Derngate has been leading a consortium including China Plate, Improbable, Mercury Musical Developments, Musical Theatre Network, Perfect Pitch and Scottish Opera, which has been working to address the barriers that prevent the creation of new, and original, musical theatre specifically developed for mid-scale regional touring.

Royal & Derngate Artistic Director James Dacre explains “Over five years up to 2017 Royal & Derngate welcomed an audience of more than 200,000 to 50 visiting musicals. Only one of them was a new work. Almost all of these 50 shows had played in our larger Derngate auditorium with little midscale musical theatre available to play in our Royal auditorium. So we set out to change this. Since then, we have collaborated with six consortium partners and over a hundred inspiring artists to champion new musical theatre voices. Together we will have premiered at least six entirely original musicals by 2021.

An Improbable Musical listens and responds to the people gathered for each performance, improvising, from scratch, a new musical created each night. Improbable are maestros of improvised theatre, who for three decades have created make-it-up-as-you-go-along shows that have captivated audiences across the world from Broadway to the National Theatre. Hilarious and heart-breaking, anarchic and agile, their first ever improvised musical will spin theatrical magic out of thin air.

Directed by co-artistic director of Improbable Lee Simpson (The Paper Man, Lifegame) with music devised and directed by Yshani Perinpanayagam (Emilia, Showstopper!), An Improbable Musical is a Royal & Derngate Northampton and Improbable co-production, which premieres in Northampton from Friday 19 March to Saturday 27 March.

With book and lyrics by April de Angelis (My Brilliant Friend, The Village) and music and lyrics by Lucy Rivers (The Bloody Ballad, Father Christmas) Gin Craze! is a booze-soaked love ballad from the women of Gin Lane.

Two lovers, each with hidden secrets, struggle to prosper as gin hawkers. At a time in the 18th century when the average Briton drank 1.5 litres of gin every day, women were being locked up in cells to sober up and disorder was breaking out on every street corner, panic spreads among the upper classes who look to the magistrates, the Church and even their tipsy Queen to restore sobriety.

This raucous satire takes audiences on a journey through the joyous excesses of Hogarth’s Britain in an ingenious and irreverent new musical.

Gin Craze! is directed by Michael Oakley (Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Life and Times of Fanny Hill). This Royal & Derngate, Northampton and China Plate co-production, in partnership with English Touring Theatre, takes to the Royal stage in Northampton from Saturday 19 June to Saturday 3 July.

Inspired by an extraordinary true story, Scot Free will be premiered in concert performances next autumn. With book and lyrics by Jonny Wright (Up North) and music and lyrics by Tim Gilvin (Unfortunate, Stay Awake Jake), the production is directed by Tinuke Craig (The Color Purple, Vassa) and has been developed by Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Perfect Pitch.

Unable to catch a break in the exclusive world of Hip Hop, three friends from Aberdeen come up with a brazen scheme to make it in the music industry. Astonishingly it pays off, scoring them a lucrative record deal and carving them a path to the high life. But when their elaborate deception begins to wear them down, they discover the perils of living a lie…

Tickets will go on general sale for An Improbable Musical, Gin Craze! and Scot Free on Friday 18 December. For more information and to book, visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

Royal & Derngate has been awarded UK Theatre and SOLT’s See it Safely mark, an accreditation that acknowledges the venue is COVID-secure and will be following the latest government and performing arts guidelines in welcoming audiences.

The Made in Northampton season is sponsored locally by Michael Jones Jewellers.

Online venue stream.theatre announces a packed schedule of brand new musical theatre, plays, ballet, pantomimes and concerts over the festive season and into the new year

Online venue stream.theatre has announced a packed season of productions over the festive period and into the new year including streamed and on demand content from feature length musical theatre, plays and dance, to a special selection of concerts and pantomimes for all the family. 

stream.theatre will present 11 exclusive, brand new shows this Christmas, many of which have been filmed this month! From classic titles like Sasha Regan’s All Male Pirates of Penzance  (captured this month from the West End’s Palace Theatre) to a less than typical pantomime, Potted Panto, (captured this month at the Garrick Theatre) to brilliant children’s theatre like The Elf Who Was Scared of Christmas (captured this month at Charing Cross Theatre). 

Four productions are raising money for brilliant causes this Christmas too: The Ceremony, a new play by Catherine Tyldesley (Acting For Others, Leeds Heritage Theatres, Theatre Artists Fund), We Need a Little Christmas (Shelter, Crisis at Christmas) A Christmas Wish (Acting For Others) and Christmas With The Stars (Children with Cancer UK).

The new platform offers a digital stage for Arts organisation, producers, and artists to record, stream and host a wide variety of new pay-per-view streaming content. Visit www.stream.theatre for full information.

LISTINGS:

The Ceremony (13 – 20 December)
A ‘work in progress’ one act comedy play written by and starring Catherine Tyldesley, with Sue Johnston, Paula Lane, Samantha Giles, Stephen Rahman-Hughes and Jodie Prenger. 

The Elf Who Was Scared of Christmas (16 December – 4 January)
Family fun filmed on stage at the Charing Cross Theatre in December 2020 and starring Neil McDermott and Gina Beck. 

A Christmas Wish (17 – 20 December)
A Virtual Concert in aid of Acting for Others, featuring stars of the West End and beyond. Hosted by Ben Stock & Hilary O’Neil.

Covidella and the Masked Ball (18 December – 7 January)
A traditional pantomime with original songs, performed by the graduating year of the multi-award winning drama college The MTA

Dick Whittington (19 – 23 December)
Immersion Theatre are thrilled to be returning to Alderford Lake this Christmas with Alderford’s first ever pop up panto: Dick Whittington!

We Need a Little Christmas (20 December – 1 January)
Star-studded festive concert in support of Shelter and Crisis at Christmas filmed at the Actors’ Church in London on 6 December. Hosted by Denise Welch and Amy Hart.

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker (21 December – 1 January)
Go back to a simpler time and celebrate Moscow Ballet’s Christmas tradition with the whole family! Includes behind-the-scenes content and interviews.

Dame Flossie’s Panto at Home (21 – 31 December)
Christmas isn’t cancelled…oh no it isn’t! Dame Flossie is back, joined by Silly Billy and Princess Jill, for a special hour-long panto.

Potted Panto (24th December – 24th January)
7 classic pantomimes in 70 hilarious minutes! Filmed in the West End’s Garrick Theatre this month.

Christmas with the Stars (24 – 26 December)
Join a host of West End stars and the students of MX Masterclass singing their festive favourites all in aid of Children With Cancer UK.

All Male G&S: Pirates of Penzance (28 December – 3 January)
Filmed at the Palace Theatre, London. Sasha Regan’s All Male Company of pirates and their winsome lasses in an inventive new take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s much loved The Pirates of Penzance. 

Untapped (10, 17, 24, and 31 January)
Four unique concerts celebrating musical theatre graduates from the past 10 years, telling their stories and performing with a live band.

The Last Five Years (29 – 31 January, 5 – 7 & 12-14 February)
Jason Robert Brown’s emotionally powerful Drama Desk Award winning musical filmed at the Southwark Playhouse in November 2020.

Waiting for Obama (11 – 17 January)
John Moore’s critically acclaimed play Waiting for Obama was an official selection of the New York International Fringe Festival.

The Poltergeist (25 – 31 January, then on Demand in February)
Philip Ridley’s darkly comic new play is about art, family, memory, and being haunted by the life we never lived. This five star production was captured at Southwark Playhouse.

Falling Stars (1-14 February)  
Starring Peter Polycarpou and Sally Ann Triplett – a beautiful new song cycle homage to the composers, collaborators and publishers of the 1920s.

FULL PRODUCTION INFORMATION:

The Ceremony (14 – 20 December)

A ‘work in progress’ one act comedy play written by and starring Catherine Tyldesley. 

Canal Street. Manchester. 

Donna Dium, Life Coach and Self-taught Shamaness, together with her long suffering assistant Ada, prepares to welcome you to a very special occasion – The Ceremony. 

Following a string of appearances on daytime chat shows and armed with fifty quid’s worth of Ayahuasca from Bury Market, the scene is set for Donna to make her first ever attempt to contact the spirit world.. What could possibly go wrong? 

The evening soon derails into chaos, tears and laughter, as her oblivious guests purge themselves of their hidden ghosts. 

Not only her foray as a playwright, Coronation Street and Scarborough star, Catherine Tyldesley will also lead the all-star cast made up of British TV Veteran Sue Johnston (The Royle Family, Brookside, Coronation Street), Paula Lane (Coronation Street), Samantha Giles (Emmerdale, Where The Heart Is), Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Emmerdale, Eastenders) and winner of the BBC’s I’d Do Anything, West End leading lady, Jodie Prenger. 

This brand new work in progress comedy is filmed on an empty stage at the Leeds City Varieties Music Hall with all proceeds from this production donated to Acting for Others, Theatre Artists Fund & Leeds Heritage Theatres. 

Run time approx 40 minutes. 

This production contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children).

The Elf Who Was Scared of Christmas (16 December – 4 January)

Filmed on stage at the Charing Cross Theatre in December 2020 and starring Neil McDermott and Gina Beck. 

Meet Figgy and Cupcake, two of Santa’s Christmas elves. For eleven months of the year, Cupcake is a bright and bubbly bundle of joy. But come December 1st, all that changes – because Cupcake is The Elf Who Was Scared Of Christmas.

Come and join Figgy in an original Christmas story as he tries to help Cupcake overcome her fear of Christmas. Using the power of imagination, and with a little help from you, will he be able to remind her of the importance and magic of Christmas? And, in helping Cupcake, will Figgy solve some of his own Christmassy problems?

This December, join Figgy and Cupcake on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and Christmas cheer, ending in an all-singing, all-dancing musical celebration, featuring some of your favourite Christmas songs.

A Christmas Wish (17 – 20 December)

‘A Christmas Wish’ A Virtual Concert in aid of Acting for Others, featuring stars of the West End and beyond. Hosted by Ben Stock & Hilary O’Neil. 

This festive feast, presented by Mark Petty and Barry Anderson will feature performances from the Anderson & Petty Holiday album Wish, along with some of your Christmas favourites, comedy sketches and magical Christmas readings. 

Join us for a night of magic and merriment and celebrate the pure joy of performance.

Starring; Melissa Jacques, Helen Woolf, Laura Pick, Rosa O’Reilly, Mara Ghatama X feat. Nathaniel Morrison & Drupti Vaja, Lucy St. Louis, Nadim Naaman, Tom Hier, The Barricade Boys, The LSMT 2020 Graduating Class, (Charlie Kristensen #CheerUpCharlie, Tilly Croft & Rhiya Rasalingam), Sooz Kempner, Matt Croke, Sophie Isaacs, Christopher Howell, Harriet Thorpe, Jessica Martin, Emma Hatton, Phoebe Fildes, Alex Hammond, Emma Lindars, The Students of the MX Masterclass, Michael Xavier, Carolyn Maitland, Kyle Taylor Parker, Gloria Onitiri, Kim Ismay, Shona White, Kieran Brown, Alison Jiear, One Trick Pony, Sam Lupton & Comedy Ventriloquist Max Fulham.

Musical Direction on Wish (Tom Knowles) Musical Direction on Silent Night (Will Sharma and Tom Knowles). 

This event is available from 17th – 20th December and the run time is approx 80 minutes. Please note this concert was filmed in artists’ homes during the Covid-19 lockdown.

We Need a Little Christmas (17 – 20 December)

Filmed at the Actors’ Church, Covent Garden in December 2020.

On Sunday 6 December, stars gathered at the Actors’ Church (St Paul’s Church) in London’s Covent Garden, to film the concert: We Need A Little Christmas, in support of Shelter and Crisis at Christmas. 

Denise Welch and Amy Hart hosted the event and you’ll be able to watch performances from Dame Maureen Lipman, Courtney Act, David Bedella, Simon Callow, Kevin Clifton, Brenda Edwards, Sheila Ferguson, Dom Hartley-Harris, Sophie Isaacs, Cassidy Janson, Charlie Kristensen (#CheerUpCharlie), Lydia Lucy, Lee Mead, Peter Polycarpou, Jodie Prenger, Sharon Rose, Sally Ann Triplett and The Vivienne, along with Brian Conley and the cast of A Christmas Carol – The Musical and the West End Gospel Choir.

Covidella and the Masked Ball (18 December – 7 January)

Pantoland is bereft, the pandemic has taken the wind out of the sails of even the most resilient fairy. Over at Panto HQ the phones just won’t stop ringing. Costumes are no longer covid compliant, props all problematic, even the modes of transport are proving difficult. That is until they receive a letter from Covidella asking for some help. 

A traditional pantomime with original songs, performed by the graduating year of the multi-award winning drama college The MTA. 

Written and directed by Howard Samuels, designed by Stewart J Charlesworth, and choreographed by Helen Siveter, this traditional art form is guaranteed to throw up one or two surprises. 

With an original score by Annemarie Lewis Thomas you can be sure that you’ll be left with aching muscles from laughing along with annoying ear worms that will stay with you well beyond the panto. 

Boo, hiss, laugh, shout, scream, groan and sing-along all from the comfort of your own living room. The MTA is a multi-award drama college which  has the accolade of being the only drama college to have twice won The Stage “School of the Year” award. 

Dick Whittington (19 – 23 December)

Panto is coming to Alderford…Oh, yes it is! Following the success of this summer’s sell out production of The Wind in the Willows, Immersion Theatre are thrilled to be returning to Alderford Lake this Christmas with Alderford’s first ever pop up panto: Dick Whittington! 

Packed with hilarious routines, heaps of socially distanced audience interaction, and a host of chart-topping hits, this high energy, exciting story about a young man seeking his fame and fortune among the bright lights of the big city promises to be the purrrr-fect Christmas experience! 

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker (21 December – 1 January)

Go back to a simpler time and celebrate this Christmas tradition with the whole family! 

See Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker from the best seat in the house; your living room! Take this opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones and experience the smash-hit Holiday tradition in this ground-breaking Video on Demand debut. 

Take a trip backstage with the cameras for a look at how the magic is made. Hear it first-hand from world-class artists, designers, and the creators of this cherished production. See the full performance as captured on stage plus an up close look at the behind-the-scenes action.

Dame Flossie’s Panto at Home (21 – 31 December)

Christmas isn’t cancelled…oh no it isn’t! 

Dame Flossie is back, joined by Silly Billy and Princess Jill, for a special hour-long panto, featuring everybody’s favourite comedy routines, some great songs and plenty of laughs…and an evil Ogre! 

For just £15, you and your household can watch the show from the safety and comfort of your own home, and you can shout at the characters on the screen as much as you like! 

This event’s run time is 65 minutes.

Potted Panto (24th December – 24th January)

7 classic pantomimes in 70 hilarious minutes!

Double Olivier nominees Dan and Jeff return for a tenth anniversary festive season of Potted Panto, hot on the heels of their world tour and Las Vegas residency of Harry Potter parody Potted Potter. 

In a madcap ride through the biggest stories and best-loved characters from the wonderful world of pantomime, our dastardly double act dash from rubbing Aladdin’s lamp to roaming the golden streets of Dick Whittington’s London and making sure that Cinderella gets to the Ball.

It’s all unmissable fun, whether you’re six or 106.

‘So silly it’s just one long joke… featuring a 3D journey to nowhere but tear-inducing laughter.’
The Guardian

‘A blast of exuberant festive nonsense.’ ★★★★ 
The Financial Times

‘Dan and Jeff are masters of the art of comedic brevity.’ ★★★★ 
The Stage.’

‘Splendid to see this team of lovable japesters take up residence in the West End.’ ★★★★ 
The i

Christmas with the Stars (24 – 26 December)

Filmed at the Actors’ Church, Covent Garden in December 2020.

Christmas With The Stars 2020. Join a host of West End stars and the students of MX Masterclass singing their festive favourites all in aid of Children With Cancer UK. 

Filmed live at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, the concert includes performances from Louise Dearman (Wicked), Cassidy Janson (&Juliet Olivier Award winner 2020), Fred Johanson (Sunset Boulevard), Lucie Jones (Waitress), Jack Loxton (Dear Evan Hansen – Olivier Award nominee 2020), Sandra Marvin (Waitress), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton), Natalie Paris (Olivier Award nominee – SIX The Musical) Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen Olivier Award winner 2020), Michael D. Xavier (Sunset Boulevard – two-time Olivier Award nominee).

All Male G&S: Pirates of Penzance (28 December – 3 January)

Filmed live at the Palace Theatre, London in December 2020.

Sasha Regan’s All Male Company of pirates and their winsome lasses are set to bring audiences one night of joy and laughter  with their inventive new take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s much loved THE Pirates of Penzance.  Features a shipshape cast singing songs including: “I am a Pirate King”; “Oh, happy day, with joyous glee” and “A rollicking band of pirates we”.  They are sure to raise the roof off the Palace Theatre!

Expect plenty of onboard japes from the swashbuckling crew who are braving the high seas with rum and hand-sanitisers to bring you a socially distanced, Covid-secure show. A much-needed escape for families and friends who are looking for some festive spirit to banish lockdown blues.

The production was first staged at The Union Theatre in the heart of Southwark over a decade ago where it was a runaway success winning Best Off-West End Production at The WhatsOnStage Awards in 2009.  Pirates transferred to Wilton’s Music Hall for a 6-week run and on to The Rose Theatre, Kingston before the All Male Company set sail on a tour of Australia culminating in a month-long run at Cate Blanchett’s prestigious Sydney Theatre. There was a subsequent UK Tour in 2015 and another critically acclaimed run at the beautiful Wilton’s Music Hall last year.

The Last Five Years (29 – 31 January)

Filmed at the Southwark Playhouse in November 2020.

Jason Robert Brown’s Drama Desk Award winning musical, The Last Five Years, is an emotionally powerful and intimate show about two New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

The musical’s unconventional structure unfolds as Cathy tells her story in reverse, from the end of their turbulent relationship, whilst Jamie tells his story chronologically from the spark of their initial meeting. The two characters meet only once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.

Now, this iconic musical returns to London in a bold new actor-musician production with the actors on stage at all times and playing the piano to add a new narrative dimension to the story, accompanied by a four piece band.

Untapped (10, 17, 24, and 31 January)

Untapped celebrates Musical Theatre Graduates from the past 10 graduating years, learn about each performers individual experience of working in the theatre industry and watch them perform with a superb 3 piece band. 

Untapped presents four different performance dates & four different casts, and each evening is hosted by Christopher Howell. This performance features Chris Howell, Muirgen O’Mahony, Helen Gulston, Ben Barrow, Amelia Walker, Karen Wilkinson, Adam Colbeck-Dunn, Laurie Evans, Bella Bowen, Kyle Birch, Shannon Herbert, Sinead O’Callaghan. 

This event’s run time is 90 minutes.

Waiting for Obama (11 – 17 January)

The year is 2016. A Colorado Springs family is convinced that President Barack Obama is coming for their guns. And they’re right. 

John Moore’s critically acclaimed “Waiting for Obama” was an official selection of the New York International Fringe Festival. 

The cast recently gathered to create a new radio-play version, videotaped exclusively for stream.theatre. Written by John Moore.

The Poltergeist (25 – 31 January, then on Demand in February)

From master storyteller Philip Ridley comes the four star OnComm Award Winning play The Poltergeist. ‘Art’s my hobby too.’ Hobby?! Sasha was destined to take the art world by storm. At the age of fifteen pop stars wanted his paintings, and a new exhibition was going to make him a millionaire. But now he lives in a run-down flat with his out-of-work boyfriend, serves in a stationers, and no one’s even heard of him… what went wrong? Philip Ridley’s darkly comic new play is about art, family, memory, and being haunted by the life we never lived. Please not this event features Strong Language, Use of Prescription Drugs and Themes of an Adult Nature. This event’s run time is 75 minutes.

One of the greatest living British writers, Philip Ridley’s previous plays include The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Radiant Vermin, The Pitchfork Disney, Tender Napalm, Dark Vanilla Jungle, and Mercury Fur, as well as the screenplay for the 1990 film The Krays. With four stars: “Rare and unmissable. Will be talked about for years.” – Theatre Weekly “Tightly wound, highly disciplined and unashamedly relentless.” – Broadway World. “Ridley and Tramp’s fast-paced and moving production, has done something truly remarkable.” – OX Magazine. “Compelling, absorbing, vital, frantic, unmissable.” – Everything Theatre.

Falling Stars (1-14 February)  

Falling Stars is the charming story of a lost songbook; hidden away in an antique shop on the East Finchley High Road, its discovery unlocks the beautiful refrains of a bygone era – starring Peter Polycarpou (Man of La Mancha, London Coliseum; City of Angels; Donmar Warehouse; Birds of a Feather) and Sally Ann Triplett’s (Finding Neverland, Broadway; Viva Forever, Piccadilly Theatre; EastEnders)

Conceived and written by Polycarpou, the song cycle is an homage to the composers, collaborators, and publishers of the 1920s, who created some of the greatest music of all time. This musical revue captures the spirit of the age as Polycarpou and Triplett serenade audiences with the music of Charlie Chaplin, Irving Berlin, Buddy De-Silva, Ray Henderson, Vincent Youmans, Carl Schraubstader, Arthur Freed, and Meredith Wilson. Directed by Michael Strassen (Godspell 50th Anniversary concert; Billy; Assassins).

MICHAEL GRANDAGE’S AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION OF RED STREAMED BY NEW VIEWING PLAYFORM STAGE2VIEW

Michael Granadge’s award-winning production of John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play Red is currently available via new streaming platform Stage2View – a venture created by Austin Shaw with Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith of Kilimanjaro Theatricals. Alfred Molina reprises the role of Mark Rothko, which he first created at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, and is joined by Alfred Enoch as his assistant Ken.

“A phenomenal production’ The Independent

★★★★★ The Times

Filmed at the Wyndham’s Theatre, where it ran in 2018, the production is based on Grandage’s original Donmar Warehouse production, that went on to win six Tony Awards including for Best Play and Best Direction of a Play. The filmed version was released in cinemas in the UK and USA, but is now available worldwide via: https://stage2view.com/. Red is initially available at the introductory cost of £4.99/ US $5.99 / €5.99 for a 48-hour rental.

“Exhilarating. A modern classic” Daily Telegraph

Michael Grandage said today, “Red was one of the most fulfilling theatrical experiences of my career and I’m thrilled that audiences will forever be able to see Alfred Molina’s defining performance as Mark Rothko. 2020 has shown us all the importance of theatre’s digital offering and this will be a key part of MGC’s commitment to audiences moving forward.”

Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant, and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists, Mark Rothko takes on his greatest challenge yet: to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.

Red reunited John Logan and Michael Grandage following Peter and Alice with Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw which formed part of MGC’s inaugural season in the West End in 2013, and their feature film Genius.

John Logan is a playwright and screenwriter. His numerous plays include Peter and Alice, Never the Sinner, Hauptmann, Speaking in Tongues, Scorched Earth and Riverview; as well as the book for Moulin Rouge. His adaptation of The Master Builder was in the West End in 2003. For television, his work includes Penny Dreadful. As a three-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter, his work includes Alien Covenant, Spectre, Genius, Noah, Lincoln, Skyfall, Hugo, Rango, Coriolanus, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Golden Globe Award), The Aviator, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Any Given Sunday and RKO 281 (WGA Award).

Alfred Enoch plays Ken. For theatre his work includes Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre), What a Carve Up! (online coproduction between The Barn Theatre, Lawrence Batley Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre), Tree (Young Vic), King Lear (Royal Exchange Manchester), Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse), Timon of Athens, Antigone (National Theatre). For television, his credits include Foundation, Trust Me, Troy, How To Get Away with Murder, Sherlock and Broadchurch; and for film, Tigers, Medida Provisoria, and Enoch played Dean Thomas across seven of the eight Harry Potter films.

Alfred Molina plays Mark Rothko. His most recent theatre work includes The Father (Pasadena Playhosue), A Long Day’s Journey into Night (Geffen Playhouse) and No More Shall We Part (Williamstown Theatre Festival). He first starred in Red at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, which later transferred to Broadway and for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play. His other theatre work includes Fiddler on The Roof (Minskoff Theatre – Tony Award nomination), Art (Royale Theatre – Tony Award nomination), Molly Sweeney (Roundabout Theater – Outer Circle Critics’ Award for Most Outstanding Debut Performance), The Cherry Orchard (Mark Taper Forum), The Night of Iguana, Speed the Plow (National Theatre), Serious Money (Royal Court Theatre), Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! (Criterion Theatre), Oklahoma! (Palace Theatre) and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC). For television, his work includes I’m Dying Up Here, Angie Tribeca, Bette and Joan (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor), Close to the Enemy, Sister Cities, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The Normal Heart (Emmy nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor), Show Me a Hero, Monday Mornings, Roger and Val Have Just Got In, Law and Order: LA and The Life and Times of Tim; and for film, Love is Strange, The Pink Panther 2, An Education, The Lodger, Spider-Man 2, The Da Vinci Code, Silk, Frida, Chocolat, Magnolia, As You Like It, The Hoax, Anna Karenina, Boogie Nights, Species, Maverick, The Perez Family, Hideaway and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Michael Grandage is Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company in London. For the company he directed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Peter and Alice and Privates on Parade, Dawn French: 30 Million Minutes Photograph 51, Red, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the feature film Genius with Colin Firth. He was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse (2002–2012) and Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres (2000–05). He is the recipient of Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and South Bank Awards. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of London, Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University and is President of Central School of Speech and Drama. He was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2011. His book, A Decade At The Donmar, was published by Constable & Robins in 2012. His work for the Donmar Warehouse includes directing Eddie Redmayne in Richard II, Felicity Jones in Luise Miller, Derek Jacobi in King Lear, Red (also New York, Tony and Drama Desk Awards Best Director), Jude Law in Hamlet (also Elsinore and New York), Ivanov (Evening Standard and Critics Circle Award Best Director), Madame de Sade, Twelfth Night, The Chalk Garden (Evening Standard and Critics Circle Awards Best Director), Don Juan in Soho, Frost/Nixon (also Gielgud, New York, USA tour, Tony Nomination Award for Best Director), Othello (Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director), The Wild Duck (Critics Circle Award Best Director), Guys and Dolls (Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Grand Hotel (Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production and Evening Standard Award Best Director), The Cut, After Miss Julie, Caligula (Olivier Award Best Director), Merrily We Roll Along (Evening Standard Award Best Director), Passion Play (Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Award for Best Director). For Sheffield Theatres he directed many productions including Don Carlos (Evening Standard Award Best Director). He mostly recently directed Disney’s Frozen on Broadway and in Australia, with a new production for London opening next Spring at the newly restored Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

MICHAEL GRANDAGE COMPANY

MGC is a london based production company that produces work across all media, nationally and internationally. The company has also established a general management service and looks after a select group of creative practitioners.

Since launching in 2012 their work includes Privates on Parade with Simon Russell Beale, Peter and Alice with Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw, The Cripple of Inishmaan with Daniel Radcliffe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sheridan Smith and David Walliams and Henry V with Jude Law as part of a year-long season at the Noel Coward Theatre, Dawn French: 30 Million Minutes (national and international tour and West End), The Dazzle with Andrew Scott (Found111), Photograph 51 with Nicole Kidman (Noel Coward Theatre), Hughie with Forest Whitaker (Broadway), currently Labour of Love with Martin Freeman and Tamsin Greig (Noel Coward Theatre), Red with Alfred Enoch and Alfred Molina (Wyndham’s Theatre) and The Lieutenant of Inishmore with Aidan Turner (Noel Coward Theatre); and the feature film Genius with Colin Firth, Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.

www.michaelgrandagecompany.com

Twitter: @michaelgrandage

Facebook/Michael-Grandage-Company

Instagram: michaelgrandagecompany

STAGE2VIEW

Stage2View is the brand new direct to consumer streaming platform from Stage2View Films, a collaboration between film producer Austin Shaw whose credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The King & I, 42^nd Street and Kinky Boots and theatre producers Kilimanjaro Theatricals, which was created by Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith. Kilimanjaro’s producing and co-producing credits include Pretty Woman, Noises Off, 9 to 5 The Musical and Kay Mellor’s Band of Gold in the UK and Mrs Doubtfire and the Tony Award winning Hadestown on Broadway. Stage 2View Films capture major theatre and music stage productions on film, for worldwide distribution.

For more information please visit: stage2view.com